Evoked are a German trio and this their debut full length since forming in 2013. As soon as ‘Resurrect The Source’ hits we get death metal in its most straightforward form. The production is nice and clear, the drums sharp, the riffs chunky with I guess a kind of Slayer-esque vibe when they hit the throttle. They’re tight enough too. They even avoid the puerile misogynistic rape fantasies of the gore lot but still manage nice and brutal lyrics. So there you go. All good.
Onwards through ‘Not Of Human Flesh’, ‘The Trophy’ and the title track we get hit by solid riffing, a little groove for moments here and there and some dissonant lead breaks. Hmm. They describe themselves as ‘Death metal the way it was meant to be. Terrifying, crushing, brutal’. The PR guff also says they are old school. Well I went to a different school. Which is fine. For me though this…is death metal. It’s not the ‘loose n lethal’ old school of Autopsy, the chop and atmosphere of the Florida lot, or the crust of Bolt Thrower. Nor is it slam, tech, prog, melodeth, experimental or..well, brutal. You get the picture. Nor is it trying to be, I know. Well maybe it is intended to be brutal.
Yes I’m flailing around here just telling you what it isn’t. So what it is: It is straightforward death metal, no frills. Which can be great. It’s mostly admirably speedy too. The only problem for me is that despite the undeniably lean, focussed band the music and the songs just sound…like generic death metal. Nothing snags, nothing pulls me in. It isn’t lightweight by any means but nor is it crushing or brutal it just…is. None of the tracks excite me which is disappointing not just because as a reviewer I want to be engaged, enthralled, repulsed, intrigued, whatever… but because behind my disappointment is the undeniable fact that there is something about the focus and determination here I admire. They have their hearts on their sleeves. They love this stuff.
Maybe if 90% of all you listen to is death metal you will find the nuances I miss but as someone who probably picks and chooses along the spectrum from filthy black tar old school through a bit of slam out into crusty and even a touch of melodic death I’m afraid Evoked left me a bit non-plussed. Sorry, desire is feeling their obvious love of what they do, I have to pass.
(5/10 Gizmo)
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